Dave Brown is a creative consultant and brand innovator. He’s an expert in creating and marketing brands. Dave lives in the world of new media, creativity, good design, and social responsibility. He coined the motto, "Love your work and work your love.”

Life changes the minute you start doing what you love. Or at least that’s how I feel about Holiday Matinee. I’d like to think it’s true for everyone. I realize it might not be.

But that’s what Holiday Matinee’s all about. We help people do what they love.

It started with Jimmy Eat World in 1999. I ran a pop culture fanzine called Muddle, and I thought they were hot shit. People who run ’zines aren’t rich people. But they’re happy people. Because they get sent records and they get to meet bands like Jimmy Eat World. Figuring my friends would dig ‘em, I helped JEW land gigs in San Diego. We’d usually end up at my apartment after shows for bad beer and good times. We’d scheme new ideas, goof off, talk some dreams.

One night, lead singer Jim Adkins showed me some photos he’d shot. They were good. So I downloaded ‘em onto my computer and tinkered. By 3am we had a healthy buzz and an album cover. Capitol Records called a few days later to say they liked it. Now all they needed was a good publicist who’d work the crap out of the record. “Yeah,” I heard myself say into the phone, “I do that too.”

I’d have to learn on the run.

How would I become a good PR company? One that wouldn’t totally muck up the major label debut by my friends’ band? Driven by the desire to succeed and not screw my friends, I spent entire days in Borders Books. I read every scrap they had on PR and running a small business. I built a database from their magazine rack, jotting down writers who covered cool bands or artists.

Holiday Matinee was “founded” that day with a laptop, a landline and a shit ton of motivation. I got an intern (he worked at my kitchen table). Our offices consisted of two guys with boxer shorts, T-shirts and bad beards.

I came up with a two-part business philosophy. The first part was inspired by Wes Anderson: find what you love and do it for the rest of your life. The second part was inspired by my gut: that giving is viral, and it tends to boomerang. Never under-give. Always over-give. Whether it’s time, creativity, money, whatever. That day I decided only to take on clients that I really, truly believed in—and give ‘em everything I had.

Jimmy Eat world sold a bazillion records. It wasn’t because of me. But I was a part of it. And it helped.

From there I partnered with other bands I was passionate about: Bright Eyes, Tristeza, No Knife, The Jealous Sound, Death Cab For Cutie, Wheat, Braid, The Album Leaf. I went on tour with the bands, slept under pool tables or didn’t sleep at all. I contacted local, regional and national media for coverage, met with writers face to face. I got to know radio DJs and promoters; they got to know me. I wanted to be more than a name on the other end of a press release. Sharing a burrito or driving an extra 100 miles in a van goes a long way toward doing that.

Helping someone succeed is its own success. I landed Superdrag on Conan O’Brien; got Mark Kozelek a feature in Rolling Stone and Bob Moog a 4-page spread in Entertainment Weekly; I made a movie of The Album Leaf’s recording in Iceland and had it placed on the front page of YouTube; got Anya Marina’s music on the soundtrack to Grey’s Anatomy. I filmed a documentary about actor/comedian/plate-spinner Kumar Pallana that's now a web-series.

In other words, I found creative people with cool dreams and helped make them happen. Maybe it was because I was as comfortable talking music with a guy with a guitar as I was talking business with the CEO of a multinational corporation. I love indie rock and DIY craftiness, but I’ve also got a hard-on for Maria Bartoloma.

It wasn’t easy. I made mistakes. But the holyshit moments made it worth it. Like when I sat barefoot on my living room floor watching Death Cab for Cutie play an acoustic version of Bjork’s "All Is Full Of Love.” Or a couple of years later, when I wound up dancing with Bjork at a party in Iceland. Awesomeness came full circle.

In 2006, Holiday Matinee was hired to help out a San Diego-based tech startup, VMIX. They had a great product, but needed a complete rebrand. So I did that. They liked it, and it helped them secure $21 Million in funding. So they offered me a job.

I realized saying yes would entail putting Holiday Matinee on hold. But I knew the experience would eventually make Holiday Matinee better. So I said yes.

VMIX was a whole different world—a world of venture capital, meetings with international media big wigs, campaigns with millions of dollars on the line. I was charged with spearheading the company’s syndication model. We created it, then secured contracts with some of the biggest content publishers in the world, including DIRECTV, IFC, NBC, and The Documentary Channel. Soon after, VMIX was named one of OnHollywood’s “100 Best Up-And-Coming Companies” for digital media and entertainment.

Then the recession hit. I was gainfully employed at a great, young company. I felt safe. But “safe” isn’t a word you see on an autobiography or a tombstone. I also felt a revolution starting. Thousands of creative people were blogging, tweeting and connecting on Facebook, Tumblr or Meetup. A creative, DIY community was thriving. It was the same spirit that made me start Holiday Matinee in the first place.

Back when I started Holiday Matinee, major media had a firm grip. It was hard for a young PR company to break in. But now the game had changed. It was time to get back to it.

So I quit my corporate job in one of the most dangerous and exciting times the country’s ever seen. I needed to give Holiday Matinee the same sort of over-giving I’d done for the people and things I believed in.

So there I was. Taking a risk. Working dreams.

I rebranded Holiday Matinee with a simple mission - spread
 positive 
vibes 
to 
the 
masses 
and 
connect 
with
anyone 
who’s 
committed 
to
 making 
this 
world 
more
awesome.

The company blog took center stage and now generates 90k visitors a month from all around the world. The blog is focused on daily short form content around design, technology, music, art, film and philanthropy. I purposely kept the tone light and conversational in style and have since added a couple of great writers who share in HM's philosophy and aesthetic.

Hosting events in support of the blog was very important. It gives me the chance to make personal connections with my readers. I began organizing and hosting happy hours, charitable events, concerts and creative celebrations. Every few months, I'd curate an event that gets creative people together and watch as the magic unfolds.

I was frustrated with all the negativity in the world and decided to lock myself in a hotel room for 3 days and write a book. The book, titled, "I Swear To Good You Are God At This" is 72-pages of creative inspiration and features 25 people, projects and ideas from around the world that will inspire those who might need an extra push to invest in themselves or do what they love.

In wanting to marry three of my favorite things (art, fashion and being a decent person) I built an online store offering 15 products focused on positive messaging and promoting creativity - from books and apparel to art and stationery. Several products were a part of our artist series. It's a simple concept, we partner with an up-and-coming artist, create a t-shirt we'd want to wear, and donate 100% of profits to charity. Current charities include Plant-It 2020 (planting, maintaining and protecting trees) and High Tech High (a non-profit charter school in San Diego that supports arts education).

Looking to tap into a creative demographic, Ford Motor Company handpicked me to market, promote and create exclusive content for their soon to be released new vehicle, Ford Fiesta. Four months later, I successfully promoted multiple independent businesses, added art to a local neighborhood, threw a massive concert for an unsigned band, designed a clothing line for pro athletes, made a short film and used the vehicle to hand out clothes to homeless. The content Ford received led to the highest pre-orders of any Ford vehicle, ever.

San Diego Magazine featured me in their "Best of 2010" and "People To Watch in 2010" issues. It's high praise, especially when sharing the spotlight with Phillip Rivers and the mayor of San Diego.

I managed, motivated and provided creative direction to re-branding of East Village neighborhood of San Diego. It included a logo, website, marketing strategy and social media training that is now being implemented city-wide.

I was brought on to create a brand identity and logo for a women's shoe line that will launch globally in 2011.

I've had the distinct pleasure of working with amazing clients - TOMS Shoes, Zappos.com, W Hotels, San Diego Padres, US Grant Hotel, Threadless....

I continue to build a profitable independent record label, with a catalog of over 30 titles, selling 200,000 records worldwide. My record label partner (the amazing Paul "Opie" Fischer) and I secured distribution on four continents and licensed music to The OC, Grey's Anatomy, Nip/Tuck, Californication, Rockstar Games, Cadillac and Hummer commercials and countless action sports videos.

In the summer of 2010, I decided it was time for me to move back east and be closer to my family. I accepted a a full-time position at Etsy in Brooklyn, NY working as their social media specialist. It's an incredible company that supports and empowers people making things for a living. I work with a great team and have the privilege of improving people's lives by featuring their creativity. It's pretty remarkable being the voice of over a million highly engaged fans and I love exploring the intersection of where the online and offline worlds collide. In addition to social media, I dip my hands in marketing, product development, brand development and partnerships. Everyone chips in with just about everything and it feels incredible to keep sharping my skill-set.

Holiday Matinee continues to march forward as a creative blog, and even after all the mistakes, bumps and endless all-nighters, I still love my work and work my love.